The Saint-Étienne de Sens cathedral, monumentally rebuilt in the 12th century on the site of an old church, is one of the first major buildings of Gothic architecture in Christianity with the Saint-Denis basilica, then an abbey church. The construction of this cathedral then testifies to the importance of both the archdiocese of Sens which included Paris in its territory, but also of the bailiwick of Sens which was the oldest and most extensive in France, with a wealth of city originating from trade between Paris, Burgundy and the Rhône valley.
From 1166 to 1170, Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury in conflict with the King of England Henry II, resided in Sens in a house near the Cathedral. An entire stained glass window recounts the end of his life, from his departure from Sens to his assassination by overzealous barons of the King of England. The marriage of Saint Louis with Marguerite de Provence was also celebrated in 1234 in this cathedral.
It now sits in the heart of the pedestrian district of the town of Sens, in a town center which has been well developed and deserves a visit, because it is full of old buildings and small restaurants.